Protein Intake

Why do you care what you father thinks?

and consuming some amount of your protein around training is a good thing.

hes started to print out articles that talk about how protein supplements are not very useful and shows them to me and doesnt make it easy to drink a protein shake or the like right after workouts (i have a busy schedule). also im in high school so my diet kind of has to revolve around what foods and supplements he buys/lets me buy.
what i want is like research showing its beneficial because my dad claims that all the studies hes looked at say a purposely large intake of protein doesnt really help and that whey protein supplements are trash

i have taken protein. It seemed to help, but very slowly. If you take it in fairly large amounts for a few months, you will see gains.

I took it for about 2-3 weeks, then I ran out. I lost most of the strength I gained… not sure why though… there could have been (probably) other factors involved.

after those 2-3 weeks was your weightlifting regiment the same?

relatively. It was strange though. Like I quickly lost everything I had gained. I was only doing upper body strength, and working a program that I was new to.

Im not sure there is much stock in my experience. If I were you I would take creatine. It works great if you can manage it properly.

Though there are variations in the quality of whey protein, there are good ones that are certainly very beneficial in my opinion. You do need a good quality protein supplement in and around workouts for best results-some say that a degree of supplementation is beneficial before, during and after the workout. I usually go with during and after. The fast acting proteins like whey isolate or the even faster acting whey hydrolysate (usually more expensive) are ideal for this.

Just as you say you’d like to see studies proving their effectiveness, I’d like to see studies proving quality supplementation to be ineffective. I think many have received positive results in their own experiences regardless of studies. Slow digesting proteins are just not as effective during or immediately after. The concept or practice of properly timing the use of supplementation with respect to the training session is also very important. I think you will find many with this same experience.

I’m not pushing a brand but simply stating that a supplement with a approx. 4:1 carb to protein ratio is often cited at a good choice. Though there are at times variation in the recommended ratio depending upon at what time you are in relation to the workout, a supplement can still be quite useful. For example, many hours after the workout, besides or even possibly in addition to consuming whole food sources (meals), it’s often recommended to have a smaller ratio of carbs to protein.

The clinical and other studies show that Essential amino acids are the best for muscle protein synthesis followed by hydrolyzed whey, followed by whey around workouts. Probably best to take ~ 25 grams after the workout if you had to limit it. If you take it before, take it 1 to 1.5 hrs before in order for it to digest otherwise blood flow goes peripheral and you will get reduced digestion.

The general consensus is 1.5 to 2 grams per kg of bwt. More on intense days. Creatine will be helpful as well.

http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/handouts/creatine_whey_protein_supplements.htm this is the article my father showed me on why not to take creatine, though i have never actually seen any sources say creatine is really harmful if managed properly like u said

and isnt cf against creatine for some reason?

I think you’d be hard pressed to find a single study proving that creatine is harmful in any way. I’ve not seen any conclusive studies showing any short term or long term problems.

For those who might have otherwise consumed rather large amounts of red meats (with in some cases large accompanying amounts of fat) perhaps the creatine is safer-not sure.

Anecdotally, there are reports of cramping and I, personally, believe this can be an issue but if adhering to proper hydration this should not be a problem. I do feel that there probably is a need to hydrate to a greater degree when supplementing with creatine.

If keeping bodyweight is a consideration then perhaps you would either avoid creatine supplementation altogether or use slightly lower amounts than ordinarily recommended. In many cases, it is often suggested that a loading phase is unnecessary and that many can benefit from maintenance dosages throughout the span of their consumption.

im not sure how that website convinced you not to take creatine. Im not saying its magical, but if you take it, Im very confident you will- almost immediately- see gains in strength and speed and energy. Just be sure to drink plenty of water and keep working out and speed training.

The dangers i heard from creatine were from wrestlers who died because they were taking it and cutting a lot of weight and not drinking water.

As long as you are drinking water, creatine can work wonders. Besides, its found naturally in your body, just in very small amounts.

At least with regards to a few of the wrestling stories. I know there have probably been more than these but when 3 died within a few months of each other if I recall around 2000/2001 or so, the USA today had it on their front page. Months later, when the story was made more clear it was determined that of at least of two of the wrestlers, one had never taken creatine and another one had not taken it for approx. 6 months prior to his death. So in those cases it was later felt that creatine could not in any way be blamed at all for their deaths. The third one I don’t recall hearing anything more about.

What I believe was determined for each, though (IIRC) was that each had engaged in what most would consider extreme weightloss methods and had allowed themselves to become severely dehydrated and this is what likely did them in.

Of course when this was disclosed some time later, instead of making the front page of the USA today as the initial story did, it was buried somewhere deep in the sports section-maybe on the back page.

I think there might have been a more recent wrestling story as well though I’m unfamiliar with those details.

It is a sport that has at least in the past often had participants who engaged in extremely dangerous weightloss methods which often involved poor hydration/re-hydration practices but creatine consumption is often what the wrestling related fatalities are attributed to.

Creatine - 2500 cases of side effects and 79 deaths have been documented.

http://www.isobelkleinman.com/Creatine.html

If there was a link convincing me personally of the negative/deadly effects of creatine, this isn’t one of them.

can you provide some substance to these 2500 cases and 79 deaths? The article only mentioned the wrestlers as known deaths- and that has already been questioned.

argue all you want about if its benficial, but creatine hasnt killed anyone

I, too, would love to see some documentation proving that creatine caused these deaths and all of those purported side effects.

I have always felt that there is no way man would have continued to exist if creatine were such a health hazard. This given the suggested regular consumption amounts of various animal protein sources that our ancestors were said to have engaged in.

Can it, like so many other foods/supplements, be taken to the extreme to cause problems? Of course.

Article from strength and condtioning journal. Does not even mention death in their section on side effects of creatine use.

http://www.excelsiorsports.com/files/Creatine_Controversy.pdf

My last post was obviously a BAD LINK

http://www.usgyms.net/creatine.htm

I seen nothing in that link to provide any proof of the “2500 cases of side effects and 79 deaths that have been documented.” Where are all of these studies available?

Much of the material from that link appears to provide only conjecture/guesses.